1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a webbing guide for use in a seatbelt system for restraining an occupant by an occupant restraining webbing to protect him, and particularly to a webbing guide preferable for lightening frictional resistance with a webbing which is received therein.
2. Prior Art
In general, one end of the webbing for use in a seatbelt system has been wound up by a retractor solidly secured to the vehicle, whereby the remaining portion of the webbing is wound up in layers, thus improving the handling condition of the seatbelt system. The intermediate portion of the webbing to be wound up by said retractor can be wound around a webbing guide solidly secured to the vehicle to guide it, to thereby make proper the arrangement of the webbing and the retractor. In this case, however, it is necessary to reduce the frictional resistance between the webbing to be received and said webbing guide. In case there is a high frictional resistance therebetween, a bad influence is exerted on the wind-up force of the retractor, and there are encountered such disadvantages that the pull-out force on the webbing is decreased, the feeding of the webbing when the webbing is pulled out is made difficult, and so forth.
Then, in the conventional webbing guide, chrome plating, painting or the like have been applied to the contact portion for receiving a guiding the webbing to thereby intend to reduce the frictional resistance. However, there have been few cases where such conventional webbing guides as described above are directly adhesively attached thereon with low friction materials. Namely, in the case the low friction material is adhesively attached on the contact portion of the webbing guide, there have been encountered such problems that the low friction material adhesively attached to the contact portion having a small diameter does not get to fit well with the contact portion, end portions of said material tend to come off, further, the end portions of said material are acted on by stress concentration due to thermal shrinkage or thermal expansion of said material, resulting in peeling, and a low friction material having a large thickness is preferred for securing durability against wear due to the insertion of the webbing, which makes it more difficult to realize reliable bonding condition.